Life has been absolutely crazy recently. I’m sure you can relate.

Sometimes in all of the chaos, it’s hard to see God. I’m so focused on everything going on around me, it’s easy to loose track of where He’s working.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about one of my favorite books of the Bible – Esther. Did you know this is the only book of the Bible that doesn’t mention God’s Name? No where, not once, does it say anything about God. We know that Esther’s uncle (who raised her) was a Jew (and they worshiped God) and they fasted and prayed, but that’s the closest we get.

And yet, when we read the story of Esther, God’s fingerprint is everywhere.

If you’re not familiar with the story of Esther, here’s a quick recap, but I strongly encourage you to read the whole story for yourself. (You can start here.)

Esther was an orphan and taken in by her uncle, Mordecai. When she was a young woman, King Ahasuerus (he ruled from what is now India to Ethiopia) ousted his wife because she made him mad. He later regretted it and had all the age-appropriate virgins undergo beauty treatments for a year, then be brought before him so he could choose a new queen.

He chose Esther, a commoner and a Jew. Everyone knew she was a commoner, but no one new she was a Jew because Mordecai encouraged her to keep it a secret.

One of the men close to King Ahasuerus got mad at Mordecai and devised a plan to not just kill him, but the entire Jewish race. He tricked the king into agreeing to it.

Mordecai told Esther she’d have to save her people, but Esther was afraid. One of my favorite verses of the entire Bible is Mordecai’s response to her: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, NIV.)

The Jews rallied around her, fasting and praying for her while she fasted and prayed in her house. She decided to step out in faith and because of her courage, the entire Jewish nation was saved.

Mordecai trusted God. He knew God would protect His people. Mordecai was right. We see God miraculously protect the Jews.

Now, I’m not going to say that God will always protect us the way we think He should. Bad things happen. However, even when the world is falling apart – or maybe especially when the world is falling apart – we should take a step back and look for where God is moving.

We don’t see God’s Name in Esther. We don’t always see Him moving in our lives or in our world. But, like Mordecai, we need to trust that He is here. Even in the bad things, He can move and make good come from it.

Romans 8:28 (NIV) says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Things are chaotic right now. Pandemic, war, inflation, uncertainty… to name just a few. And that doesn’t include what’s going on in your life personally. But trust that God is here, even when we can’t see Him. He’s here and He loves you.